I am running South on Lincoln’s Inn Fields—a rather dexterous endeavour—considering the 9cm Gucci stacked heels I stupidly selected to wear this morning…. unbeknownst to the mad dash I would be making now. This is of course complicated by the James Perse bodycon dress I am wearing which was clearly not designed for sprinting down the streets of London!
Happily I am not dashing to the office of some seedy and avaricious solicitor.
It is the first Tuesday evening of the month, and needless to say, where else would a Culture and Art-loving fashionista want to be in London?? No other place but the magnificent museum of Sir John Soane, the neo-classical architect, emblematic of the Regency Era.
The period of Sir John Soane’s lifetime (1753-1837) witnessed the great expansion of London and the construction of many quintessentially British monument buildings, including inter alia The Bank of England, Trafalgar Square, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Regent Street, Buckingham Palace, The British Museum, etc. All these neo-classical buildings evoked the grandiose and pomp and circus of the Roman and Greek Empire. The representative English architects of the Neo Classical style were Christopher Wren, Sir Robert Smirke, John Nash and of course Sir John Soane himself.
These architects all embarked on a Grand tour of Europe and spent considerable time in Italy where they were inspired to utilise an architectural style, coined Neo-Classical, which recalled the Roman Empire, hence the Corinthian columns and cupolas as in St Paul´s Cathedral and the British Museum. Sir John Soane was no exception and when he passed away, his home (composed of 3 adjoining Georgian row houses) were converted into a museum.
So it brings me back to the running because there is a queue that forms at 18:00 when on this, the first Tuesday of every month, they open the museum by night and allow for visitors to come and enjoy evening visits of Soane Museum illuminated by candle light. The unique experience allows us to experience the house how it would have been in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s.
Due to my art connections (I had a previous life at Christie’s), I nonchalantly glide past the queueing visitors and enter—still panting – the dimly lit museum.
It is quite an experience. All the drawings and prints shown were part of Sir John Soane’s collection. An extraordinary collection of drawings and books which show buildings from many different periods and places including London houses of the period. The pinacoteca highlights include paintings by Hogarth, Canaletto, Reynolds and Turner. In each room there is a very accessible historian who provides more information upon request as visitors amble about the rooms. Each room is covered from wall to wall with paintings and Roman and Greek statues, art and antiquities. These amassed objects were first introduced to Soane during his Grand Tour of Bella Italia. However this is not all! In addition to the oil paintings and antiquities, the few rare items make it a full experience. There is a desk which allegedly belonged to Great Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. For those of you who do not recall. Sir Robert Walpole became a great collector of art, including important works of Murillo in his home of Houghton Hall which Mr James Christie, founder of Christie’s sold to Catherine the Great in a landmark private sale in 1779 and went on to adorn the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. There is also a massive alabaster Egyptian Sarcophagus of King Seti I dated 1370BC. I’m not sure why Sir John Soane would have wanted such a macabre thing in his home, nevertheless it is rather spectacular.
After wandering through the museum, I glide out the side door and visitors are still queueing visitors, so a word of advice, so do try to get there early!!!
It is 7:30pm and I have to meet my date shortly at The Delaunay on London’s Aldwych and one of the Corbin & King works of art. No idea how the blind date will go—cringe—but I must say he does get kudos for choosing one of my favourite restaurants in the neighbourhood. If the date goes south, I can dash across the street to meet the girls who are having killer cocktails across the street at the Me Radio Bar— the perfect venue for gossip and cocktails on a warm Indian Summer evening.
Will let you know how the date goes with my next Cultural escapade!
Any Questions or Tips to add?